The Wisdom of Oz

I recently watched The Wizard of Oz with my kids for the first time. Of course they freaked out in the beginning and thought something was wrong with the tv having never seen a black and white movie before.They loved the movie and I loved watching it through their eyes. It still ranks as one of my all time favorite movies. Besides the super fab red ruby slippers (which are not a part of the book but oh well), my favorite part is when Glinda the Good Witch reminds Dorothy that she never had to look elsewhere for what she wanted. She had it within herself all along. As a health and wellness coach it is my job to remind my clients that they too have everything they need and all of the answers already within themselves. Sometimes especially after we have been struggling for a long time on whatever wellness battle we are dealing with, it is hard to remember that we are in charge and we have the power to change. It doesn't mean that it will be easy but we are in control of our choices, behaviors and reactions. As a coach, I am not the expert, YOU ARE!! You know what is best for yourself. I love being able to be a guide and partner as you travel on the journey to optimum health. As you go about your day today, whatever challenges fall into your path just remember the wise words of Glinda the Good Witch. " You've had the power all along my dear." Live your best life, take ownership of your destiny and travel on down that yellow brick road. Be Well Friends!!!

A Change Will Do You Good

Big news, big change! I am officially a Health and Wellness Coach certified through Wellcoaches School of Coaching After much studying and preparation I've reached my goal. Now what??? Now what do I do with myself. My big goal is to get established with a health and wellness organization in my area. In the mean time I'm still debating on whether or not to start my own business as a wellness coach. It feels very daunting and overwhelming but I have to remind myself to take it step by step. It doesn't matter what you do in life anytime you are looking at starting something new your imagination takes off leading you into every possible what if scenario. In your mind you have created major catastrophes before you have even started working on anything. I pose the question How do you stay on track and step out on faith when the ground feels shaky? For myself, I try to stay steady by keeping up with my meditation practice. I also try to stay positive by doing good things for myself. What are your tips and tricks? Until next time, Be Well!! 

Seven Areas of Wellbeing

Bad Blogger!! My apologies friends. I have been neglectful of my blog. Why? Well, I will have to lay the blame on the big E-G-O. Not being sure if people are actually reading my blog makes it hard to sit and pour out my creativity (Are you hearing that tiny violin?. But, I needed to remind myself that just like with meditation, you just show up! No expectations, no agenda, no goal. I like to blog because I like to write and I like to share what I know( or at least what I'm processing in the moment). So here I am, showing up. I hope you join me. But if not, I'm okay on my cushion, er at my computer content with my thoughts!

I am studying for my Wellness Coach certification and really reflecting a lot on this theme of wellness. Wellcoaches School of Coaching identifies the seven areas of well-being as ...

1. Life Satisfaction
2. Energy
3. Mental and Emotional Fitness
4. Exercise
5. Nutrition
6. Weight
7. Health

I looked on the web and there are alternatives, I found the seven demensions of wellness but since I have my training with Wellcoaches, I can more easily identify with their 7. I thought it would be interesting for the next few weeks to really dig deep into what each of those areas mean. Of course for each person they will look different but I thought a general investigation would be interesting. So stayed tuned!!!

Be Well Friends

Where is the Joy?

Where do you find your joy friends? Are you looking for it? In the midst of such busy lives, and in the midst of our own wellness battles whether they are trying to lose weight, stress management or finding life satisfaction, we all have a lot going on. I was reminded of this the other day. A friend of mine actually had to remind me to have fun, lighten up. Being a single mom I get bogged down with paying bills and making sure my kids have what they need. Just found out the dog has allergies! What? How much is that gonna cost me??   I'm also studying for my Wellness Coach exam and of course doing a zillion other things like we all are doing. In a nutshell, I'm busy! Who isn't? But are we too busy to find those small pockets of Joy that life offers us? Are we too busy to be silly, have fun? I encourage you today , no matter how much is on your plate to look for those small pockets of Joy.  No matter who we are or where we are, we can find Joy on this journey. 

Be Well, Be Joyful

Motivation Tips

What Do You Do When....

Being a mom is probably the most generous job on the planet. You are constantly putting your kiddos needs in front of your own. It seems to just happen without a whole lot of thought. Recently in working with my own wellness goals, I decided to make a commitment to take a group fitness class at the gym 3 times a week. I love going to the gym, I could live there! I'm also much better at doing classes versus working out on my own. I love the camaraderie, the energy, I have just always really loved being in a class. As you can see getting to the gym is not a problem for me. But.... I have these two little creatures that live with me and after a long day at school they don't want to go to the gym with mom and wait in childcare until I'm finished. Especially when it's nice out, they want to hang out at home and play outside. Who can blame them really. So I've had to come up with a Plan B. Even though I like getting to the gym and taking yoga, cardio kickboxing whatever there are days when that is just not going to happen. I stumbled on my Plan B while on Pinterest. They have great workout routines that you can print and use at home at your own pace. A lot of the ones I like come from a site called Fit Sugar. It's actually nice to go at my own pace. I play the songs that get me moving and I'm saving a lot of time since I don't have to wrangle the kids, drive to the gym, find a parking spot etc. I am still going to the gym when I can but when I can't make it I know I have other options. I also decided that when I need to go for a run, obviously I again have the same problem, what do I do with my kids? I came up with my other Plan B for that as well. I can run up and down the parking lot right in front of my townhouse. The kids can stay home and I can get my cardio in. The neighbors may think I'm crazy running up and down and I'm sure I may get bored but we have to do what we can to take care of our own health. Who else is going to take care of us? So I ask you friends, what is your Plan B when your own workout plans don't make it? 

Be Well Friends

Size Matters

Lots of discussion right now about the new Nutrition Labels that the FDA is working on. They haven't been changed in about 20 years, but our bodies and eating habits sure have! The new labels are supposed to reflect actual serving sizes. Do you spend a lot of time reading labels? They can be a bit confusing. Will the changes make it easier for everyone to understand? We will see. Here is a great article from NPR highlighting the big changes. In the meantime, it is good to talk about and be mindful of portion and serving size. We all know that portion sizes have increased dramatically over the years. Many of us are still active members in the Clean Plate club that our moms made us join. Being a member of this club today can be detrimental to your health.What is portion size versus serving size? Portion size is the amount of a single food item served in a single eating occasion such as a meal or snack.Think about how much we are offered every time we go out to eat or open a bag of something. Serving size is the standard unit of measuring food. How many servings are we actually consuming when we eat that plate of pasta from Pasta, Pasta, Pasta Restaurant (not a real restaurant, I hope!) Often we are eating what looks like one portion because that's what we've been served or what we serve ourselves, but it's actually 2 servings.
So what are some strategies we can use to battle the ever growing portion size?

• When eating out before you meal even hits the table ask for a to-go box. When your food arrives immediately put half(or more than half) in the box. Sometimes the server can even box it up before hand for you, if your worried about the temptation to eat all of it.
• Think about your dinner plate. Dinner plates have become a lot larger. You don't need to fill your plate. You could even try using a salad plate for your meal. You will be amazed at how much less you will eat but you will still feel full.
• Try not to sit down to the table hungry. Have some fruit, or a small salad before your meal so you want feel as tempted to overeat.
• If you are having a snack, measure out a serving size and put it in a bowl rather than eating out of the bag or box. 

These are just a few suggestions. What are some other ideas you've tried? Let me hear you friends!! If you want to test yourself take the Portion Distortion Quiz from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It is very eye opening and it's actually fun to take. Knowledge is power! Be Well Friends!!